Report: Engine speed surge caused Turkish plane to skid

A Boeing 737-800 of Turkey's Pegasus Airlines is seen in Trabzon, Turkey, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. A commercial airplane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously Sunday off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the Black Sea.Some of the 168 people on board the Boeing 737-800 described it as a "miracle" that everyone was evacuated safely from the plane, which went off a runway at Trabzon Airport. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish media report says the pilots of a plane that skidded off the runway and down a slope toward the sea have told investigators that the plane's right engine experienced a sudden surge of speed that forced it to swerve to the left.

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800, with 168 people on board, went off the runway at Trabzon Airport, northern Turkey, late on Saturday, stopping at an acute angle only a few meters away from the Black Sea. All passengers and crew were evacuated and no one was injured.

The private Dogan news agency said Monday the pilots told investigators that the plane landed normally but that the engine's sudden increase in speed caused them to lose control.

A Boeing 737-800 of Turkey's Pegasus Airlines is seen in Trabzon, Turkey, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. A commercial airplane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously Sunday off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the Black Sea.Some of the 168 people on board the Boeing 737-800 described it as a "miracle" that everyone was evacuated safely from the plane, which went off a runway at Trabzon Airport. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

Authorities at Trabzon Airport on Monday were making preparations to tow the plane off the slope.

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